Chile's airports to resume normal operations as strike ends

SANTIAGO Dec 20 (Reuters) - Chile's government and workers
tied to the civil aviation authority came to an agreement Sunday
evening, putting an end to a four-day strike that forced
airlines to cancel hundreds of flights and left thousands of
passengers stranded.

A spokesman for the Defense Ministry told Reuters an
agreement had been reached but provided no further details.

LAN, Chile's flagship airline and part of LATAM Airlines
, had said earlier on Sunday that domestically, it was
only flying from Chile's capital Santiago to Punta Arenas,
Temuco and Calama, affecting 80 percent of its flights.

Due to the high occupancy rates in the run-up to the
Christmas holiday, "relocating affected passengers after the
strike is over could take several days," LAN said.

The regional carrier's chief executive, Enrique Cueto, told
local newspaper La Tercera, that the strike was likely to cost
LAN between $10 million and $15 million.

The work stoppage was initially set to only last 48 hours.

In September, a 24-hour strike stranded thousands of
travelers and created long lines at airports after a majority of
workers affiliated with the DGAC, or civil aviation authority,
went on strike to demand improved benefits and working
conditions.

After two months of negotiations, DGAC workers, which
includes air traffic controllers, said this week that they had
rejected the government's proposal for a state subsidy to
improve their pensions and went on strike again.
(Reporting by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Diane Craft)